GUILTY MI - April Millsap, 14, Armada, 24 July 2014 #1

[tlcya]

an alternate possible is that the phone was dumped by killer somewhere not near April's body and teh motorcycle rider (if one of the house occupants) picked it up thinking it would make a good "throw away" phone for drug dealing activities. Upon hearing about April's death they may then have dumped it.

It's a stretch admittedly, but possible.

 

[Ven]

More speculation ... could April have been walking with another friend or friends? You think back to cases like the one where the two teen girls murdered their friend. The lack of sexual assault (if that's the case) really seems implausible for a RSO. I wonder if it could have been "friends" who did this to her?

 

[ellasmom]

In the beginning I thought she may have been hit by motorcycle. He freaked out when she was still alive. Used her phone to call for help. Someone comes and helps "take care of situation". And sent the text to throw people off what really happened. Then disposes of body and phone.

 

[Ven]

I'm also trying to picture a scenario where she went out on a walk with another friend or friends, or another friend or friends met her on the trail. Some other teen kids her age or older, they killed her, and then sent out a bunch of texts from her phone such as "OMG WTF I think I'm being kidnapped". Seems like something some dumb junior high or high school kids would think up, frankly.

The lack of sexual assault really is a big obstacle to a predatory grown man being responsible for this, I suspect.

 

[tlcya]

interesting theory ellasmom. If one of the two men arrested on the grow farm charges is responsible, my money is on the 30 yr old son and not the RSO father. And if he was carrying pot to a drop or meet point along the trail and hit her your theory seems logical to me.

Really hoping LE gets the info they need and that tips start coming back in.

 

[ellasmom]

I may have missed it, but has phone been found? Could it be that phone was pinging from an area where they were searching?

 

[tlcya]

a phone was found at a location they searched - see this map for location: https://www.google.com/maps/ms?msid=212568466443618080967.0004ff305b7c55800f835&msa=0 see the red marker on Omo Rd

but no word from LE if the phone foud was indeed April's. LE is playing it close to the vest and I am glad. When teh FBI is involved it tends to give me more confidence that leaks aren't going to happen and they will have ducks in a row before charging someone.

 

[Ven]

Thanks for the map tlcya. I wonder if April was found in the wooded area southeast of Liberty Lane. That seems like the most secluded spot in the vicinity, and there looks to be a creek or drainage ditch in that area.

 

[WhoKnowsWhat]

Did I hear earlier that LE was looking for April's backpack. I wonder if she always took her backpack when she walked the dog.

 

[caspermi]

Live Breaking news on WXYZ.COM SAYS police and FBI stopping all cars going in and out of Armada. Everyone checked gets an "X" on their hand. Something is happening very soon I bet.

Are they using the "X" as a way to surreptitiously get DNA samples? I'm no lawyer but I'm sure this wouldn't pass legal scrutiny. This doesn't seem like a typical LE practice.

 

[ArianeEmory]

When I've seen LE doing the "in/out" car check before, it was in the case of Alanna Gallagher and it was because they had home surveillance footage of the road traffic. They were figuring out which cars belonged there and which didn't, and which cars were typically traveling to and from their homes at the time of the crime.

 

[tlcya]

More speculation ... could April have been walking with another friend or friends? You think back to cases like the one where the two teen girls murdered their friend. The lack of sexual assault (if that's the case) really seems implausible for a RSO. I wonder if it could have been "friends" who did this to her?

I followed the Skylar Neese and the SlenderMan cases and I know what you mean. That seems more prevalent lately. But I don't get that feel with this one.

 

[ArianeEmory]

I followed the Skylar Neese and the SlenderMan cases and I know what you mean. That seems more prevalent lately. But I don't get that feel with this one.

You know, now that you say this, I realize I have no idea what I think about this case. With Alanna, my gut was either "brazen serial killer" or "someone young and stupid" and the latter turned out to be true. But we have no idea of motive or COD here, whereas with Alanna it was obviously a child predator. This could be anything--a predator, a covered-up accident, a grudge among peers, etc. Unfortunately my gut is not pinging on the guys at the house being the murderer(s). I'll be glad to be proven wrong though since that'll mean they have the perp(s) in custody now.

But I'm afraid it's going to turn out to be a tenuous connection, like someone who knew April bought weed from them.

 

[Linda7NJ]

I'm also trying to picture a scenario where she went out on a walk with another friend or friends, or another friend or friends met her on the trail. Some other teen kids her age or older, they killed her, and then sent out a bunch of texts from her phone such as "OMG WTF I think I'm being kidnapped". Seems like something some dumb junior high or high school kids would think up, frankly.

The lack of sexual assault really is a big obstacle to a predatory grown man being responsible for this, I suspect.

That's what my gut it telling me too.
Wish dogs could talk.

 

[tlcya]

IT is hard to speculate with so little. But I am glad LE is not letting this case run wild in the press. Facts. When they have them they will share. But boy for a speculator like me its hard not having much to go on. With nothing so many roads are open.

 

[Ven]

Yeah it's good LE keeps it close to the vest, but at the same time you hope they release enough information for the public to give them the right leads.

I'll go out on a limb with this case and guess that it was one or more dumb school kids. Jealous girl or something. I think the man they have in custody is probably a drug dealer and selling to teens in that area. Keep him locked up for awhile too. Just a hunch.

 

[eileenhawkeye]

I think someone attempted to abduct April, and she either fought back and refused to get into the car, or she jumped from the car and was killed.

 

[gam]

Thanks for the map tlcya. I wonder if April was found in the wooded area southeast of Liberty Lane. That seems like the most secluded spot in the vicinity, and there looks to be a creek or drainage ditch in that area.

From what I got through their pictures is they were southeast of Liberty Lane, they were all the way out on Omo Road, drainage ditch is at the end of the trail before it crosses Omo Road, you could see it in the Pictures posted on news sites. One picture looked down the trail from Omo road and there was a police car blocking the path right there. One article or maybe more(I will have to look for links)said they were on Omo Road going through some yards and found a cell phone during that.

There are no roads close to the town of Armada that actually go east all the way to Omo road. Only thing close that does is that trail, but that trail is wide enough for a car as seen in the one media photo where they had a police car on the trail and plenty of room to the tree lines on both sides of it.

Here is the link, under the video is a slide strip of pictures, with Omo Rd, it was another site though that had the one with the police car on the trail, that I can't find now.
http://www.wxyz.com/news/region/mac...ble-homicide-female-body-found-in-wooded-area

 

[ellasmom]

My gut says the house they hit yesterday is the right one. There is no way they went there for no reason. Something or someone led them there. They are on the right track for sure!! I am happy to be proven wrong, but too many things point there.

 

[gam]

My gut says the house they hit yesterday is the right one. There is no way they went there for no reason. Something or someone led them there. They are on the right track for sure!! I am happy to be proven wrong, but too many things point there.

My gut was saying the same thing, but now I just don't know. Short time frame this all happened in, someone would not have time to leave no trace behind, so I would think they have to have DNA. How long does that take to get back? I know Michigan State Police have the means to process evidence, not sure how extensive it though and maybe it all went through the FBI.

Bothers me that they were out there tonight, same weeknight and same time frame, stopping cars and questioning them. I know they want to cover all tracks, but I got the gut feeling out of that it was needed, as in they have little at this time.

The sketch looks to me just like the one in that house, plus the blue and white motorcycle. Then you add that to the other in the house being a RSO. But he could have just been in the area to, they have never called him, the sketch or the motorcycle anything more then a just wanting to talk to them. My checking around, led to connections between one they have and some people that live in Armada, so that is back to maybe he was just in the area, people called in that knew him off that sketch and motorcycle. They raided the house because the other one is an RSO, they both have convictions and maybe they felt they would not come on in and cooperate. They could have known they had pot, it was pretty clear in my looking's that one of them was not private about his doings with pot. Tip could have come in to that the person in the sketch sold pot. Why not raid the house when you have all of that.

All of it could be that they are just waiting on evidence to process and just spending the time gathering even more to hang whoever good. I'm real good at talking myself in and out of possible scenario's. I've done the same with other scenario's already suggested in this thread. I keep going back to them stopping those cars a week after, now that seems a bit much also to me.